


Discovery

by ErLiAu



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: After Sex Scene, Alternate Universe, Complete, Deaf Culture, Deaf!John Watson, Deaf!Sherlock Holmes, Gun Violence, M/M, Self Harm, graphic depictions of self harm
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-28
Updated: 2015-07-02
Packaged: 2018-03-26 06:06:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 22
Words: 9,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3839908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ErLiAu/pseuds/ErLiAu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alyra and Kaelin find themselves wrapped up in a whole new world when their father's illegal activities catch up with him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all! This is probably one of the first multi-chapter fictions I've actually finished before posting. You're probably very relieved to hear that as I have a terrible habit of forgetting the WIPs. So, here is the fiction I wrote. It is not proofread, so any mistakes are due to me, and any inaccuracies about deaf culture are also entirely my fault. I am basing this on Switched at Birth and the Internet. If you find something triggering while reading this, comment about it and I will tag it.

A brisk wind snapped by Kaelin’s ear, then whipped her scarf up into her face. Spluttering, she pulled it down, pinning it with her crossed arms.

“Alyra, let’s go. It’s freezing and getting late.”

Kaelin watched her sister hand over a couple of bills to the cashier of the street cart. “Keep the change.”

Once Alyra had reached her, Kaelin scolded, “Why are giving out pocket change like that? We can’t afford it. Every penny counts.”

“Kaelin, he normally closes up in weather like this, and if not for him, we’d be freezing our asses off even worse.” Alyra handed her companion a steaming cup of cocoa. “He deserves it.”

“So do we,” Kaelin grumbled, walking off. When Alyra tried to walk to her right, the other girl dropped back and switched sides.

“What is your problem, Kaelin? I’m trying to talk to you!”

Refusing to acknowledge the other, she powered on, sipping her drink.

“Kaelin!”

The wind faintly carried her name to her right ear, and she realized it was tinged with fear. She glanced up and saw that she was about to walk in front of a car. She jumped back, heart thumping.

She needed to hurry and get to the other side so traffic was on her right. The twins hurried across the street, both keeping an eye out for more hazards.

“Thanks, Alyra. And I’m sorry for being rude about the street vendor.” Kaelin breathed.

Stepping over the curb, the older twin caught her breath. “Now will you walk with me?”

“Yes,” Kaelin said brightly, putting out her hand. A relieved Alyra accepted it, and they began once again to walk home.

“I’m sure Dad will be drunk,” Kaelin said, raising her cup and walking with a stagger. “And if not that, he’ll be asleep.”

Alyra laughed at the impersonation. “I’m not sure. He was pretty serious this morning.”

“What, about getting a job? Please, that man wouldn’t sober up for anything.”

Nodding in agreement, Alyra looked up at their home. It was an old brownstone, the front coop littered with beer bottles and newspapers. At the moment a dog was using it as a rest stop.

They quieted and watched the animal, mangy and pitiful, dash off.

“I hate it.”

“Me too.”

They continued in silence to the door, which they were shocked to find open. Vague yelling sounded from inside; Kaelin picked out the word “gun.”

Glancing at each other in fear, they carefully and cautiously walked in.

Kaelin pulled out her phone, typing,

 

I’ll go in. You stay here and dial 911.

 

Alyra nodded, fear pouring into her eyes and threatening to spill.

Tiptoeing past a broken end table, Kaelin leaned around a corner. Her father stood at the far end of the room facing her. Almost directly in front of her, a large man brandished a pistol, screaming obscenities.

She moved closer, trying to see his face. Her foot bumped a wooden leg, and the man turned around. “Who’s there?!”

Before she knew it, she was in his arms, a high-pitched scream ripped from her throat. The cocoa cup, long empty, bounced to the floor.

“Daddy!” She cried, a name she hadn’t called her old man in a long time. The man in question was cowering in the corner. “Help me, please!”

She began to cry as she felt cool metal pressed to the right side of her face, a perfectly round, hollow circle. Now shaking, she murmured, “Dad…”

Her captor screamed, “Give me the money or your daughter bites the bullet!”

“No, no, please…it took me so long to save them…” Kaelin’s father whimpered. “No, please, leave us alone!” His voice canted up with every word, hitching.

“You got the money?!”

“No!”

“Then say goodbye!”

Kaelin clenched her eyes shut, prepared for the worst, but instead of a small explosion, she heard her father’s footsteps and his voice.

“Let me make this up to you.”

She opened her eyes again as the metal moved, the sensation spreading into a long, thin section on her cheek.

“How?” The man snarled. “How, Truscott? You played the game and you lost.”

“I can be your lackey, your servant, something, just please, not my daughter!”

Kaelin shivered as the man’s grip tightened on her. Seconds later, she heard sirens; help was finally on the way.

“Daddy, no,” She choked out. “Don’t.” Maybe she could drag this out.

“Please, Kaelin. Let me do this for you.” The man’s eyes were big and round, an element of remorse in them. He was trying to make up for the years he had mistreated her.

“No, Dad!”

“Kae—“ Truscott leaped forward, making the bullet hit home even sooner.

Dropped to the floor like a ragdoll, Kaelin’s one good ear, the one she’d always had, rang with church bells, wedding bells, funeral tolls. It seemed like Poe had suddenly taken up residency in her brain.

Reaching up, Kaelin felt the side of her face. The stinging of her flesh made her pull away and gaze at her fingers. Blood soaked.

Looking up, no relief from the sound, she saw her father. Slumped over a chair that had been in his path. How foolish; even if he’d made it, he would have tripped.

Feet crossed Kaelin’s line of sight, shoes with a high gloss and bright shine. Police?

Seconds later red and blue flashes lit on the curtains.

A man leaned down in front of her, his lips moving. Kaelin blinked slowly, and let her hand relax. It plopped in front of her, the fingers closing and leaving bloody prints on her palm.

The rest of her body followed suit.

 


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The twins may have a home, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I post that first chapter yesterday? I can't remember. I feel like a million years have passed since then. I wish I could queue chapters here like I can posts on tumblr. Anyway, this chapter is really short, as I previously wrote this work and there was a natural break here. But don't worry, I plan on posting every day.

The nurse peered through the window at the two young girls, an unsettling feeling in her stomach. They looked familiar, somehow.

“Nurse Thane, you supposed to be here?” A passing doctor stopped and asked, stopping next to her.

Shocked out of her reverie, she looked up. “I’m on break. I…I think I recognize them.”

The doctor put a hand on her shoulder. “Jenna, you should let it rest. They had just moved here from Philadelphia.”

Fingering a locket around her neck, Jenna sighed. “What are their names?”

“Alyra and…Katelin, I believe. They’re not my patients.”

Something clicked. “Kaelin? Alyra and Kaelin?”

“Yes, but how—Jenna?” The doctor stared after the woman, who had taken off down the hall.

Jenna dashed past nurses and parents. All of them quickly jumped out of the way; one of the perks of hospitals. She hurried to the file room.

“Hello, Miriam,” she gasped, leaning heavily on the counter.

“Jenna! You should be careful, you just came back from sick leave!” The portly woman behind the partition cried, standing up. “What do you need?”

Finally catching her breath, the nurse said, “I need the file on those twins.”

Miriam tilted her head in confusion. “Are you allowed access?”

Jenna shook her head, “No, but I think I may know who they really are.”

Eyebrows raised, Miriam turned to the computer. “I’ll get it for you, but if anyone asks, it wasn’t me; you did it.”

Nodding in agreement, Jenna put her thumping head down on the cool plastic counter. She definitely shouldn’t have run so soon after getting back to work.

She heard the printer running, and glanced up. Miriam waited for the entire packet to finish, then brought it over.

“Be careful with this. If you want to look at it in the hospital, don’t.”

Jenna smiled. “I won’t, Miriam. Thank you.”


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaelin's been through a lot, but so has her sister.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a difficult chapter for me to write because of two things: one, it is extremely emotionally charged, and two, I have no personal experience with this particular topic. Ahead is triggering material on the topic of self-harm. If you feel triggered by such things, or don't want to read them, I'll include a trigger-free description of the chapter at the bottom.

Alyra stroked her fingers through her sister’s hair, thinking on their attempt at a conversation earlier. It’d been hopeless, of course; Kaelin couldn’t hear a thing, not after having a gun go off in her ear.

Clenching her fists, a long strand of brown hair caught in the middle, Alyra fought back tears and rage. They had lost so much that night—a father, any hope of having a positive or heroic image of him. A home. And on top of all of this, her hearing.

Alyra stood and walked to the tall windows on the outer wall. The moon was unfairly bright, and several stars shown with full force. “Nothing like the country night sky,” she muttered, recalling their multiple journeys across America’s rural areas.

She flopped onto the sofa bed. Their nurse had kindly put it together. Alyra, however, had trouble thinking of the woman as “their” nurse.

True, she’d been treated for shock, but it was nothing compared to what Kaelin was going through. Alyra had always been the quiet, shy one, afraid to make any unplanned move. Kaelin, though…Kaelin was bold, reckless, wild. Her actions almost never came with thoughts.

They balanced each other out, and it was a blessing they weren’t on opposite sides of the grave now. Still, guilt racked her small frame, causing her hands to shake and her eyes to see the man they’d brought out in cuffs in her peripheral.

By the time the call had been made, she had heard Kaelin’s scream. The want to go in and check on her was nothing compared to the fear that rooted her in place.

If she had just gone to help her—no, there was no guarantee she would be alright. One or both of them may have been dead, and deafness was better, less final, than death. Wasn’t it?

Alyra threw an arm over her eyes, too lazy and tired to close the blinds and block out the moonlight. She wanted sleep, but it wouldn’t come. Instead, every possible scenario chased each other through her mind.

Sighing, she stood and walked into the little bathroom, closing the door. She slid down it, taking in all of the hospital’s extra features; a wheelchair-accessible bath and sink, the little railings around the toilet. Even the cabinets were at the correct height, except the ones containing disinfectant and other cleaning supplies, or catheters, or something like that.

Pressing her feverish skin against the cool tiles, Alyra finally acknowledged the tickle at the back of her throat.

Tears filled her eyes and spilled over. She could barely keep herself from sobbing, then realized it didn’t make a difference. Whatever noise she made, Kaelin wouldn’t be able to hear her. Probably never would.

With that thought, Alyra cried out, an ugly, broken sound. She wrung her hands, screwing up her eyes. The tears wouldn’t flow, they wouldn’t leave. She just wanted them out. She wanted to get out this guilt, this fire. The fire burned through her veins.

Standing, she began searching. Finally, she found what she was looking for. She pulled out a bag of disposable razors.

Part of her was counting down the seconds, adding them to her clean streak. it had been years, so long the old scars could pass for cat scratches. Alyra’s hands, expert despite their shaking, tore the three little blades from the plastic casing. She carefully pinched one between her fingertips.

The only light in the room was a soft glow from a safety bulb, stuck in an outlet beside the mirror. Looking at that light, Alyra carefully gathered the debris of her downfall in her hand, stood, and placed the extra blades in a little pill container beside the faucet.

She peered at her arm in the half-light, turning it. Her flesh was eerily pale, making her wonder if the blood had turned tail and run. Picking out every vein, she set the blade to the thinnest one.

“I am in a hospital, after all.” She muttered, slowly adding pressure. Beads of blood, darker than the shadows, began to pop up. She gasped as the pleasure of pain slid down her nerves. Carefully scoring the razor across, she watched the thin line form, thankful for the hoodie she had with her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alyra tries to communicate with her sister, but cannot. She laments the relationship they had and most likely will lose by the end of this ordeal. She remembers when her father was shot, and her inability to help. Outraged at their new separation and the lack of medical care she has received, she seeks refuge in the bathroom, where realization dawns that no matter how much noise she makes Kaelin can't hear her, can't help her.


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jenna's suspicions are confirmed.

Jenna glanced at the clock, the fading digital numbers declaring it to be either 12:40 or 12:48; the middle dash was permanently on.

Shifting in her seat, she reached for a translucent orange bottle beside her and popped a pill. A cough was forming in her throat.

Beside the medicine, a stack of printed papers sat atop a manila folder. Jenna hesitated, hand hovering over them. Could she handle the revelations?

Shaking her head, she muttered, “I already know it.”

She pulled the documents into her lap, and flipped open the folder. A crime scene began to unfold as she reviewed the photos and interrogations. She could recall the hysterical phone call, back in Los Angeles.

Her best friend, Alice Beckerall, had called her in a frenzy. “Jenna, he took them!”

The memory drained away, and she scanned the final page of the packet. A missing ad for identical twin girls; a family photo had been used. Their long brown hair had been tied with matching bows, and they wore pink sundresses. The swirling pastel blue background seemed to mock the depressing purpose of the paper. Beneath, a “wanted” was emblazoned over the face of Evan Oliver, father and kidnapper of the children.

Many people had followed the case at its outbreak. Alice, then famous for her role in a TV show, took several months’ leave to search for her family. She spent this time debating with herself if she should officially file for divorce with Evan, then deciding not to in fear that her girls may be hurt for it.

Her only friend at her side had been Jenna, then in med school and unbothered by tabloids and gossip. Alice confided that Evan had faced problems with mental illness, and frequently mentioned wanting to save their family from some supreme and destructive force. In a wash of celebrity, Alice had turned a blind eye to his needs. She had really and truly believed she was to blame for her daughters’ disappearance.

Jenna couldn't count the number of nights Alice had spent on her couch, first from sheer exhaustion and then to avoid the painful sight of her own home.

Surfacing from the memory, Jenna turned to the much newer material. She tried to swallow her hope; nine years was too long, this could be a completely different set of twins. It could be a ruse, another pair with the same names.

No, the names gave it away. It had to be them. But there was a way to check.

Jenna carefully read the diagnosis of Kaelin Truscott. Noise induced loss of hearing in right ear; the young girl was rendered Deaf due to a preexisting congenital deafness in her left ear.

There was no doubt now. Alyra and Kaelin Truscott were the long-lost daughters of her best friend.


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alice finally meets her daughters again.

Alice, despite the near six hour flight, stormed into the hospital, searching for her best friend’s face. Relieved to finally see the familiar woman, she reached Jenna, a million questions fighting to be asked first.

“They’re this way,” Jenna immediately said, walking toward in-patient. They hurried down the corridor.

“I am very sure they’re yours, but we need to do a DNA test to confirm.”

Immediately agreeing, Alice said, “Anything to get them back.”

The turned into a little waiting room, three of the four walls of which had observation windows into the rooms. The fourth wall held a nurse’s station.

Jenna led her friend to one of the windows and opened the blinds. Through them, two young girls slept; one in the white cot, connected to several machines, head wrapped in thick bandages. The other was curled up on a sofa bed in the corner.

As if trying to reach them, Alice gently touched the glass. “My girls,” she murmured, “where have you been?”

Placing a comforting hand on her companion’s shoulder, Jenna held out the file. “Since I’ve gotten myself involved, the hospital gave me official access to their records. They have never even been to a doctor before, this is their first time in a hospital, let alone a clinic.

“Kaelin suffered the most injuries. Alyra only had mild shock; meanwhile, her sister has…Alice, I’m so sorry. She lost the hearing in her right ear.”

The mother paused in the file on a picture of a burned and shredded ear. Bile rose in her throat and tears stung her eyes. “My babies,” she gulped, fighting down rage.

“Once we have finished the DNA test, you and a lawyer will go in to explain the situation and make sure you have custody. Then a deaf counselor will join you.”

“Let’s just get this over with,” Alice said, turning to her friend. “I just want my daughters back.”


	6. Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alyra isn't so sure what to think of this person.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: brief mention of self harm in the first paragraph

When Alyra heard the door open, she was expecting another doctor, or maybe a nurse. She scrambled up out of the bed and tugged on her hoodie, barely suppressing a hiss as the fabric tugged on the scabbed-over cut.

Her surprise furthered when she turned to find a young woman standing in their room. She was slightly familiar, but Alyra couldn’t place where she had seen her.

“Who are you?” Alyra croaked, sleep still in her throat. “Why are you here?”

The woman stepped forward cautiously, a strange emotion in her eyes. “I’m your mother, Alice.”

Alyra backed into the window behind her, realization setting in. “You are?” She whispered, gazing at the beautiful person in front of her. “But you’re…I recognize you.”

Chuckling, Alice shrugged. “I am an actress, so it’s possible.”

Crossing her arms, Alyra walked over to her sister. Though Kaelin was older, she had always been in need of protection.

Another lady stepped into the room. Alyra relaxed as she noticed her lilac scrubs. If the hospital knew about this, then maybe what Alice was saying could be true.

At that moment, Kaelin stirred, a strangled scream escaping her mouth. Her eyes flew open, and every person in the room immediately turned to her.

Catching sight of Alice, she gaped. “Alice Beckerall?” Her voice, though clear, was oddly pitched and wavered.

Nodding, Alice turned around. The nurse stepped forward and spoke, making sure to face the deaf twin. “Kaelin, Alyra, I am a nurse here. My name is Jenna Stantham. My old friend here, Alice, is your mother.”

The twins’ eyes met, and Kaelin shrugged. Alyra minutely shook her head, and asked, “Proof?”

Nurse Stantham held out a manila folder. Alyra stalked over and took it, then sat beside her sister on the bed.

The two women sat on the edge of the sofa mattress, and the room prepared for a serious conversation.


	7. Chapter Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The new family is busy adjusting to their life.

In the taxi on the way from LAX to Alice’s house, the twins practiced signing.

“ **My name is K-A-E-L-I-N,** ” said the older sister, her fingers faltering as she folded her thumb in for the final letter. Alyra nodded in understanding.

“ **My name is A-L-Y-R-A.** ” She returned, struggling with the twisted nature of the R. She pointed at their newfound mother, who was in the front seat speaking with the cab driver. “ **Her name is A-L-I-C-E.** ”

“I can’t tell the difference between the ‘c’ and ‘e’ when you do that,” Kaelin stopped her. “Make it more pronounced.” She repeated the sentence, then touched an A to her chin.

“What’s that?” Alyra asked, pointing at the new sign.

“Remember how the deaf counselor said we can make signs for other people?”

“Yeah, but—oh!” Realization dawned, and Alyra swiftly signed, “ **A-Mother?** ”

“ **Yes.** ” Kaelin both nodded her head and snapped her hand down.

“Girls, we’re **here.** ” Alice turned around and told them, signing as best she could. “ **Thank you,** ” she told the cab driver.

“Any time.” He replied, accepting her card and swiping it.

Kaelin tugged on her sister’s sleeve. She held her hand thumb-out and flipped it over, index finger tapping her wrist twice. “ **Any time.** ”


	8. Chapter Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The twins have been improving at sign language, but an impending event has Kaelin worrying.

“ **K-A-E-L-I-N.** ” Alyra signed, waving her other hand. “ **K-A-E-L-I-N!** ” Tired of signing the whole name, she repeated the N, gradually getting closer to her sister.

Snapping out of a reverie, Kaelin finally looked up. Her sister was saying her name, signing one letter and swiping it past her face repeatedly.

“ **N?** ” She asked confusedly, looking up. Her mind was broiling with the new ASL words she’d been learning. Six of her classes supplied the curriculum for her seventh, which meant every night she was crash-coursing anywhere from seven to seventy new words. It was the only way to keep up in class.

“ **Yes, N. You didn’t answer.** ” Alyra griped, hands shaking in agitation. “ **Couldn’t get your attention otherwise.** ”

Circling her fisted hand over her chest as an apology, Kaelin said aloud, “I was thinking of something.”

“ **What?** ”

“ **Job fair.** ”

“ **What about it? You must be excited.** ” Alyra sat down across from Kaelin.

Kaelin thought her next sentence out carefully. “ **Alyra** (an A pulled down the left side of her face) **, I’m not** (thumb chin, bent hand down torso) **. I’m scared** (jazz hands in front of chest) **.** ”

“ **Scared? Why? You’re better off than me. The hearing program has to help set up.** ”

Frustrated, Kaelin explained, “ **What if my dream job isn’t there?** ”

She knew it was a ridiculous fear, she did. A surprising number of jobs had been opened to the Deaf community, and at least one—sometimes the only—representative from each career, including several doctors, would be there to improve student morale at Kissinger.

Alyra processed her fear. “ **Then you become the P-I-O-N-E-E-R.** ”

Smiling, Kaelin said, “ **Thank you.** ”

As Alyra began to walk away, Kaelin called, “Wait!” When her sister turned around, she pointed her right index finger at her left palm, slid it between two fingers and twisted, then set both hands down with finality. “ **Pioneer**.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise you'll see John and Sherlock in the next chapter! Until tomorrow!!


	9. Chapter Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> British and American sign language are not similar in the least, but someone seems to have mastered both.

John tapped his fingers against the counter, eyes flicking to the clock above the front desk. He could almost imagine its steady ticking, as his eighteenth minute standing there unattended passed by.

Of the two people working at the front desk, one was handling a steady line of hearing guests, while the other was frantically signing. Multiple deaf professionals from around the world were frantically searching to be helped, but the young girl was struggling. Sighing, John waved his hand, getting her attention.

Just finishing up with a guest, she turned to him. Her hands flew, but he couldn’t understand her.

“I’m sorry, I don’t speak ASL, I speak British Sign Language,” John said, his voice quavering. He didn’t like using it unless he needed to. “I’m fairly good at lip-reading, though.”

“Oh, thank God,” The girl gasped, flicking her hands in a universal signal of pain. “I don’t think my wrists could take much more. I’m the only employee who can speak ASL.” She leaned forward. “I noticed you were over here for a while, but I had one particularly difficult guest. What’s your name?”

As she opened a program in the computer near him, he said, “Doctor John Watson.”

Finally, he received a key card. “Have a good stay,” she said.

“Thank you,” John answered, turning around to find a tall, dark haired man standing right in front of him.

He was just about to speak when the stranger’s hands began moving. To his astonishment, John recognized it as BSL.

“ **Finally, a fellow Brit!** ” He exclaimed in sign before actually focusing on what he was saying.

“ **Tell her I can speak four different sign languages and can lip-read sixteen oral ones.** ”

“ **Sorry, who are you?** ”

“ **S-H-E-R-L-O-C-K H-O-L-M-E-S.** ”

Though confused, John turned around and called for the girl again. Returning, she asked, “Is there a problem?”

“Sorry to bother you, but Mr Holmes here says he knows four sign languages and… **what was it?** ” He signed to the austere Sherlock.

“ **Sixteen.** ”

“Sixteen spoken.”

Surprised, the employee confirmed, “ASL?”

The man lifted a clenched hand and bent it down and back up, an American sign John suspected meant ‘yes.’ Seeing his duty done, he double checked that he had his key and left.


	10. Chapter Ten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alyra meets John and Sherlock.

With only three days left to spare and half of those invited present, Alyra was rushing to decorate the gym. Nearly every other student had slipped into conversation, savoring a rare moment when no deaf students were around and they could work and speak at once. Well, “work” was being interpreted loosely.

Standing on the edge of the stage, Alyra studied the placement of the banner. It was extremely off, but could be fixed with a quick hop up a ladder. She turned to get one.

A scream escaped her mouth as her feet tangled in a wire and she fell from the platform.

Rather than the hard gym floor, she was cushioned in strong arms. Looking up, she saw translucent eyes and tousled black hair.

Though her ankle was throbbing—she was fairly sure she’d heard a snap—she politely signed, “ **Thank you.** ”

He nodded and tucked one arm around her torso and the other under her knees, carrying her away from the stage to the bleachers. He signed, “ **Wait here.** ”

“ **Trust me, I’m not going anywhere. I think it’s broken.** ”

He grimaced, then dashed off, his coat swishing impressively. Although why he was wearing a coat, and scarf, inside the sweltering gym, Alyra hadn’t a clue.

The mysterious man returned seconds later with another man, and they were signing indecipherably.

“ **This is Doctor John Watson. He will stay with you.** ” He took off again, this time tapping a hearing student and telling her to call an ambulance.

“ **I am hearing** ,” Alyra said and signed to the man, who was helplessly holding his hands at his waist. “ **And I’m guessing you don’t know ASL.** ”

Finally relaxing, he scratched his neck. “You’re right. I think all I’ve figured out is ‘yes’ and ‘no.’”

“That’s all you really need.” Alyra said, her foot hitting the floor. She hissed as sharp pain filtered up her leg, and pulled back quickly.

The doctor returned to the task on hand, muttering, “Right. That’s one question answered—definitely painful.” He gently touched her ankle, causing her to recoil again. He looked up.

“It’s sharp,” she said, shrugging. “Like something’s stabbing me from inside.”

“Hmm. With that and the odd angle, I’m fairly sure it’s broken. I don’t know what type of break it is without an x-ray, though.”


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaelin meets the men who saved her sister's life.

Kaelin wandered between the booths, heart pounding. She could swear she’d seen twenty or thirty booths in the medical field, but none with her desired field. Couldn’t she be a neurologist?

Eventually, she found that she’d walked past every sign, and none of them answered her query. In the last row, she found her sister, ankle propped up, sitting between two booths—one a general practitioner’s, the other some sort of detective’s.

“ **Kaelin!** ” Alyra called, waving her over. “ **Meet the people who saved my life!** ”

Hesitant, Kaelin joined them.

“ **Hello,** ” she signed. “ **Thanks for keeping my sister alive.** ”

The supposed consulting detective answered, “ **All in a day’s work. I am S-H-E-R-L-O-C-K. That is J-O-H-N W-A-T-S-O-N. He doesn’t know ASL, so I am translating for him.** ”

“ **I’m K-A-E-L-I-N, nice to meet you. What’s a consulting detective?** ” She replied, pointing at the sign above his booth.

Looking up at it, he signed, “ **I created it. The sign is the BSL for ‘consult’ and ‘detective’ put together, like so—** “ He brushed one hand over the other, then tapped his index finger’s knuckle against his shoulder. “ **Consulting detective.** ”

Repeating the gesture, she turned to Doctor Watson. “Very nice to meet you both. Thank you for helping my sister.”

To her surprise, the man seemed to speak aloud. “Oh, it was mostly Sherlock.”

“You must be oral,” Kaelin said, slightly surprised.

“Yes. I went deaf due to an IED in the army. When I was invalided home, I decided to become an ER doctor.”

Sherlock stood and walked away, coming back within seconds bearing a chair. He set it down beside Alyra’s and told Kaelin, “ **Here you are.** ”

“ **Thank you,** ” she signed, sitting down. “ **What’s your deaf story, Mr Holmes?** ”

Though she’d only been a part of the deaf community for about six or seven months, Kaelin knew one thing, something confirmed by her sister; most deafies made small noises when they spoke. Particularly if excited, they made small exhalations of breath, forced out by their frantic movements.

Sherlock, however, was different. He had yet to utter a word, and his lips were stoically shut while he signed. Even when speaking with a hearing person, he kept them pursed, as if afraid of what may happen if he were to open his mouth.

Even his smiles were closed off.

“ **I have bilateral anacusis. I have never been able to speak, and opted out of all possible treatments.** ”

Nodding, Kaelin replied, “ **Left unilateral for me.** ”

“ **And then a gun took your right ear’s abilities?** ” Sherlock asked—no, stated—and gestured to her head.

Hand flying to her ear, checking that the thick cover of hair was still in place, stared at the man, and then turned on her sister. “ **Did you tell him?** ”

“ **No. He has been deducing things all day; figured out I had a twin sister about thirty minutes after I sat down.** ”

Sherlock waved his hand. “ **You do not react to any sounds around you as Alyra does; your right cheek has a horizontal mark across it, a faint scar. Thus, a gun. The same gun which killed your father, and thus sent you to your mother.** ”

Staring at the man, Kaelin blinked. She happily beat at the air with both hands, and cried, “ **Fantastic!** ”

Dr Watson turned to Sherlock and signed something, to which Sherlock gave a reply in what Kaelin could only assume was BSL. At the end of the explanation, Sherlock turned and said, “ **I just explained what transpired to the good doctor here. He says he is ‘sorry for your loss,’ though why he’d be sorry, I haven’t a clue.** ”

Alyra leaned forward and scratched under the edge of her cast before signing, “ **Just something non-S-O-C-I-O-S do.** ”

“ **Wait, what is a S-O-C-I-O?** ” Kaelin asked.

“ **It is what your sister has shortened S-O-C-I-O-P-A-T-H to.** ” Sherlock explained.

“ **You’re a…?** ”

“ **A high-functioning one, yes. And there is no sign for it in ASL, hence the constant fingerspelling.** ” Sherlock spelled it again.


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The family's return home from the job fair is a bit rockier than expected.

“ **He was a bit odd,** ” Kaelin signed as they walked to the car, Alyra limping along on her crutches.

“I suppose, but I like Sherlock. He was the one who caught me, you know.” The injured twin huffed, unable to sign.

“ **And I thank him for that.** ”

They reached the car, and Alyra slid in, signing, “ **Did you catch the tension between them? They liked each other.** ”

Pondering this as she walked around to the other side and sat down, Kaelin replied, “ **What do you mean? Like-like?** ”

“ **Yes, like-like. You weren’t there the whole time; you wouldn’t be able to tell.** ” Alyra shrugged, pulling her phone out of her pocket.

Their mother jogged down the walk, and hopped into the front seat. She signed and spoke frantically, “I am so sorry to leave you waiting back there, I forgot my coat in the school. Buckle up, let’s go.”

They were still and silent on the car ride home, listening to the sounds of the city. Los Angeles had been the twins’ home for a long time now, but it had never truly felt like it to them.

Slowly the ambient noise faded from urban life to desert sounds as they left the busy heart of LA and reached the scrubby outskirts they lived in.

Sleep crawled over their minds as they got out of the car, though dinner still waited for them.

The housekeeper happily set out the plates and food, chattering happily despite the closed ears of the diners. She walked out eventually, leaving an awkward silence.

Kaelin finally broke it, asking, “ **Could you pass the salad, Alice?** ”

Fork clattering to her plate, Alice clenched her hands. “Why do you still call me that?” Visibly shaking, their mother continued, “Am I nothing more to you?”

Alyra spoke up. “ **We do call you mother. Your sign name is the letter A and the placement of the word ‘mother.’** ”

This didn’t seem to satisfy the woman. Tears touched her eyes, and she stood, chair nearly crashing into the wall and plates shifting on the table. Alice walked briskly out of the room.

Kaelin stared at her own food for a second, what she’d eaten so far swirling in her stomach. She was about to eat excuse herself when her sister’s hand brushed her shoulder. “What?” She snapped.

“ **She will get over it. This is not our fault. It was Dad’s.** ” Alyra signed, obviously repeating something she’d said multiple times.

“ **I’m not worried about that. It’s been six months, and her signing is mediocre at best. Sure, she’s gotten better, but she is more liable to sign about a cochlear implant than a future deaf career.** ”

Alyra settled her hand on her arm, sympathy burning in her eyes. “I’m turning in for the night,” she told her sister. “Good night.”

Kaelin briefly covered the comforting hand and blinked slowly, looking up at her younger sister. “Love you.”

“Love you too.”


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alyra struggles with the behavior of her family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: Self Harm.
> 
> If you don't want to read this chapter, I will summarize it in the notes at the end of the chapter, which you will be able to skip to.

Alyra closed the bedroom door behind her, blood rushing in her ears. She couldn’t believe it—everyone in her family was so selfish. Her father, sister, mother, all wrapped up in their own little worlds.

Didn’t Kaelin see that their mother at least _cared_ about her? Alice was a loving mother, even if she only thought about her own situation. But did Alyra ever get any of that love? Not a bit.

It was already spring and Alice had yet to question Alyra’s choice of wardrobe, still wearing long sleeves and hoodies.

Yanking off her shirt, she hobbled into the restroom and stared at herself in the mirror. Her ankle ached—she shouldn’t walk on it without her crutches—but it didn’t matter. Not at this moment.

All she could see was her sister. Her imperfect sister, deaf, yet still the model daughter. How could such a messed up person be the favorite? How could Alyra mean nothing, _nothing_ , in her mother’s eyes?

She plopped onto the edge of the tub, opening the cabinet beneath the sink. Behind cleaning products, boxes of pads and tampons, and a few extra rolls of toilet paper, she found her stash.

Tears began to sting her eyes and all of her blood rushed from her head to her arms. How many months had she been clean? Four?

Four months of progress, down the drain because of a freaking job fair and a squabble at dinner.

Alyra popped open the box and roved for the perfect razor. They were all clean, ready to serve their purpose. Finally selecting one, she held set it on the edge of the counter while she put the rest away.

The faint white scars on her arms stood out against flushed skin, as if beckoning her to make another cut.

Picking a spot, Alyra imagined all of her fear and rage pooling beneath the skin and set metal to flesh. She began to press.

Blood slowly popped up around the blade, and she pressed harder. It wasn’t working, wasn’t giving her the emotional release she desired.

Hissing, she looked up as footsteps sounded. Glad she hadn’t bothered to turn on the light—the only indicator Kaelin had that someone was in their—she continued her task. The blood began to drip down the side of her arm, landing on the towel she’d used this morning.

“Oh well, another item to through out,” she muttered, a whisper of fear tangled in her words. Sighing, she picked up the razor. Only then did she realize how deep she’d cut. The raw edges of her skin curled, and red coated her arm.

Touching her fingers to the mark, she reached down and picked up the soiled towel, wrapping it around her arm. She switched the blade to her other hand, but failed to grip it. It slid through her fingers, slicing them.

“Shit,” she muttered, “I must’ve lost too much blood…” Her words were slurred, and she pitched backward into the bathtub. Pain lanced through the back of her head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alyra laments the selfishness of her sister and mother, particularly their ignorance of her continuing to wear long sleeves in warm weather. She expresses how Kaelin is viewed as perfect by Alice despite being deaf, but Alyra herself is nothing to her mother. She eventually blacks out due to blood loss.


	14. Chapter Fourteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sherlock makes a surprise deduction.

Sherlock sat up in bed, eyes widening. _That’s it._

Beside him, still curled in the sheets, John Watson stirred. He looked up at his latest partner, who gazed back at him. “ **I solved it.** ”

Blinking sleep from his eyes, John replied, “ **What in the world do you mean?** ” His fingers were sluggish, and his mouth didn’t coincide with the words.

“ **Alyra, that girl. Something about her struck me as…dangerous.** ”

“ **What, like she’s a future murderer?** ”

Sherlock stood from the bed, giving John a wonderful view of his buttocks. Turning and offering a slightly more pleasurable image, he signed ecstatically, “ **No, John! She’s depressed, and self-harms.** ”

At this, John shot out from the sheets himself, fear in his eyes. “ **What proof do you have? Is she alright? Will she kill herself?** ”

“ **I’ll answer your questions in reverse order. Not on purpose, no, and her attire. She wore a long sleeved shirt yesterday, despite the sweltering heat of the gym. Besides myself, she was the only individual wearing something like this. The gym’s heating was over-compensating for the chilly outdoors.** ”

In the middle of getting dressed, John simply said, “And this is proof that she is depressed? Sherlock, she’s a teenage girl, and she can’t exactly take off a shirt in public.”

Searching for pants and trousers, Sherlock rifled through his drawers. Finally tugging on the articles, he continued, “ **She did not push up her sleeves, as others did. And she immediately became crestfallen when her sister joined us, though it was only a micro-expression.** ”

He took off without giving any warning to the other man, thinking, _I had a case and I didn’t even know it!_

On his way out of the room, he snatched a shirt and tugged it on, buttoning it haphazardly. He didn’t even notice that he was off by one.


	15. Chapter Fifteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John finally experiences the Holmes adrenaline rush.

John didn’t catch up with Sherlock until the taller man was in the lobby, frantically signing at the front desk employees. Even without his hearing he could tell they were telling him they didn’t understand.

Rushing up to them, he said aloud, “I’m sorry! He’s just over-excited, is all.” He finally reached the counter, and Sherlock was looking at him.

“ **Translate for me.** ”

“ **Sign away.** ”

John carefully read the signs for the workers, who were frantically doing as he said in his peripheral. When he finished, he turned to them, eager to find out the result.

Sherlock’s hand slipped around his wrist; John was tempted to pull away. He knew the man was taking his pulse. But the touch was too warm, and it made his happiness sink into a coil in his stomach, settling the fear that had been pounding through him at the thought of a suicidal girl.

“I’ve got a taxi coming!” One of the desk workers exclaimed, looking directly at the two men. “It will take you to the children’s hospital. An article this morning said that last night a young girl, unnamed for her protection, was found by her sister unconscious from loss of blood, suspected suicide attempt.”

“Fantastic!” Sherlock yelled, shocking John and the employees. As the man ran out, John turned to his shocked companions.

“Thank you for helping. Also, did he say that aloud?”

“Uh, yes. Although he didn’t sound, um…normal?”

John nodded. “Most who have been deaf all their life don’t have proper control of their vocal cords. I don’t think he’s ever spoken a word before in his life.”

Jogging after his new—something, John felt exhilaration pulse through his veins. This was more exciting than any doctor’s office or battlefield.


	16. Chapter Sixteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaelin wonders why she never saw the pain her sister suffered.

Kaelin’s heart was beating too quickly. She kept replaying the previous night in her head, finding Alyra in the bathroom out cold and rushing to the hospital.

“Oh, sis, why did you have to turn the tables?” She whispered, carding her fingers through the younger girl’s hair. Kaelin avoided looking at her arms, which were crossed with thin lines.

“How long was this going on?” She asked herself. Shame washed over her. Years, nearly a decade she’d spent sharing rooms with her twin, and she had never seen the sadness in her eyes or the cuts on her arms.

She looked up as someone brushed into the room, looking disheveled. He’d thrown a long white doctor’s coat over his clothing, and had popped the collar. Eyes reaching his face, Kaelin realized she recognized him. “ **Sherlock?** ”

The man stood across from her, not acknowledging her at all. His eyes roved over Alyra’s scars, including the thick bandage around one section. “ **My deduction was correct.** ” Dr Watson soon joined them, a nurse at his side.

“Sir, you can’t be in here—“ The nurse began before she reached Sherlock, only to stop as John touched her arm. He held up his phone, and after reading the screen, she reached out for the dramatic man’s shoulder.

Turning, Sherlock watched her as she repeated herself. Alyra couldn’t see his signs, but John obviously could, and he said them.

“I don’t need to listen to you.”

The nurse looked shocked, and pulled a pager out of her pocket. She buzzed someone with it, turning before Kaelin could catch her words.

“ **Sherlock, I’m glad you’re here. A-L-I-C-E, our mother, will be back soon.** ”

The mysterious consulting detective flashed a brief smile at her before zoning out, hands templed beneath his chin.


	17. Chapter Seventeen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alyra realizes the repercussions of her actions, but incorrectly estimates one.

Alyra looked at her sister across the table, hesitating. Should she answer the question?

“ **I’ll Ask again, why did you do it?** ” Kaelin stared her sister down. The older girl’s expression was an odd mixture of anger and worry.

Looking down at her useless left arm, a cushion of gauze and bandages around it. The blade had severed one of the tendons, and it would take months of physical therapy to restore her full range of motion. Even then there was a distinct possibility of it never fully recovering.

Instead of answering, Alyra shrugged.

“ **Seriously, you jeopardized our entire relationship. You’re lucky I’m so good at signing.** ”

Head snapping up, Kaelin picked up her still working hand and put three fingers together. “ **No.** You have no right to make this about you. That’s what made this all happen in the first place.”

Shock formed on her sister’s features. The hospital cafeteria around them, though buzzing with activity, faded away.

“ **I didn’t know.** ”

“My whole life, I’ve been pushed aside for you. Your disability made you the desirable one, somehow, the one who needed help. Me? I could just do my own thing, I could just take care of myself.” Alyra peeled away her sleeve and bared her arm, “See how that turned out?”

Gulping, Kaelin answered, not bothering to sign. “I am so sorry. I was so busy soaking up the attention I never considered you never received any. Maybe I thought that because I acknowledged you it was enough. I cannot apologize enough for how wrong I was.” She reached across the table.

Tears forming in her eyes, Alyra nodded, muttering, “Thank you,” and accepting her sister’s gesture.


	18. Chapter Eighteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sherlock must really love John.

Somehow, John only returned to his own hotel room once during the rest of his stay. That one time, he’d retrieved his belongings and returned his key.

The original worker who’d checked him in smiled when she recognized him. “Are you checking out?”

“Oh, no, I’m—er—well, there’s been a change of plans.” John stuttered, shuffling. “I’ll be rooming with another guest for the rest of my stay.”

The girl handed him a printed receipt. “It’s that tall guy with the coat, isn’t it?”

John was shocked. How had she known?

She seemed to sense his thoughts. “When you two first met, I saw the sparks.”

“Oh, no, I was just happy to find someone who spoke the same language as me,” John protested, leaning across the desk. “That was not love.”

“At least not at first,” she smirked. “Who knows, maybe this deaf job fair was the start of something great. A family, maybe.”

John, though verbally protesting the thought, found that it never left him as he went upstairs. Knocking on Sherlock’s door, he still couldn’t shake away that comment.

When the genius answered, a beautiful smile; John’s smile, as the short man had begun referring to it; spread across his face. However, it quickly changed to his deducting look and stepped back.

“ **Come in.** ” Sherlock gave his lover a glance-over, then began muttering.

At first, John thought maybe he was only moving his mouth; however, as he got closer to Sherlock, he realized that he was making sounds.

“ **Are you speaking?** ”

“ **What? No. I’m not speaking. I don’t speak.** ”

“ **I have eyes, I can tell whether sound is coming out of someone else’s mouth, Sherlock.** **Why don’t you ever speak?** ”

Sherlock plopped down on the bed and turned his back to John. The stocky young man brushed his hand across the pale skin showing and smiled as Sherlock faced him.

“ **You don’t have to tell me,** ” he assured, leaning down and kissing the changeable genius.

Pushing John away, Sherlock sat up and began, “ **As a child my brother tried to make me learn how to play the violin. He convinced our mother to buy me state-of-the-art hearing aids, and handed me the instrument.** ”

Sherlock shrugged, mouth moving. John read his lips. “Mycroft tried to make me speak. But I could see people staring, sense the wrongness of my voice, even begin to hear it with the aids. It was painful. Too painful.”

Sitting on the bed, John patted the place beside him. Sherlock reluctantly gave in. “Sherlock, if I could still hear, I’d love the sound of your voice, because I know how much it means for a Deaf person to speak in front of another.”

The other man still closed his eyes and shook his head. “ **But I’ll never hear yours.** ”

Leaning over, John picked up his partner’s hand and pressed it to his throat. “Open your eyes.” Sherlock’s lids drifted up, and he glanced between John’s face and neck. “We both know there’s more than one way to hear.”

Sherlock’s hand moved to caress John, and he leaned in for a kiss. As his lips slid along cheek, he moved them.

Both knew what he had said. “ **I love you too,** ” John signed, symbols grazing against Sherlock’s back.

 

 


	19. Chapter Nineteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our Johnlock gets together.

You did not save her. Her sister did. JW

 

Not true. SH

 

Sighing, John set down his phone and stared through the window of the plane. Though he and Sherlock both lived in London, they’d taken different airlines to and from the conference. Still, they had plans in place to move in together.

Sherlock had even offered his own flat, 221B Baker Street. After a cursory overview on Google Maps, John had determined it sufficient.

Golden happiness still flooded him in waves whenever he thought about Sherlock. All of the bad luck in relationships, all of those years in the army hiding his bisexuality, and he’d found a wonderful, beautiful genius to satisfy his cravings.

Every single one.

 

Love you. JW


	20. Chapter Twenty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The twins try to continue with life.

Bouncing into the room, Kaelin spun in a circle. “ **Thoughts?** ”

“It’s a prom dress, **Kaelin.** ” Alyra sighed, struggling to move her left hand. “ **Not** adesign for a runway.”

“ **This is a big deal, Alyra!** ” The older twin signed angrily, tossing her hair over her shoulder. “ **And you’re next.** ”

“ **I know, I know,** ” standing up, Alyra shrugged off her sweater. The fibers tugged on the scar and she cringed. “I’ll change now.”

Though she struggled, Alyra eventually worked on the long dress. She shuffled into the living room and turned around.

Kaelin zipped the back and when Alyra was facing her again, signed, “ **Beautiful.** ”

“ **Thank you,** ” Alyra graciously accepted the compliment. Tears stung her eyes as she gazed in the mirror.

They’d struggled to find a dress with long sleeves that was suitable, so in the end Alice hired a tailor. The twins had initially protested, until they realized what it meant. Both girls ended up with gorgeous dresses to match their personalities.

Kaelin’s gown was dusky pink, with multiple layers of sheer fabric draped across her hips in a high-low style. Her bodice was bejeweled with clear and white rhinestones. The sweetheart neckline left her shoulders and arms bare.

Alyra ran her hands down her own sky blue number. Ithad a high collar and flounces of tulle across her arms, soft enough that her scar was hidden yet untouched. Sprinkled across the dress were small jewels, adding a special twinkle. The young girl liked to think of it as her sun-shower, for the decorations reminded her of rain.

“ **Beautiful,** ” Alice signed, walking into the room. “ **Let’s take a picture of you both.** ” She stood with her phone in hand, and was soon joined by some of their staff.

As soon as they were done posing for pictures, they loaded into their mother’s limo. The drive was uncomfortably silent until Alyra turned and took her sister’s hands.

“I am so happy I didn’t miss this.”

 


	21. Chapter Twenty One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A graduation, an engagement, and a very special announcement occur.

“Kaelin Truscott,” Sounded over the microphone. The girl in question crossed the stage, hearing aid on her left ear and a smile plastered across her face. The audience of graduates lifted their hands and shook them, though most of the rest of the room clapped.

Alyra smiled as her sister joined her. “ **Good job, you didn’t trip,** ” she signed carefully, left hand unable to fold. “ **I’m proud of you.** ”

“ **I’m prouder of you.** ” Kaelin replied, then sat down as the final graduate in their row reached their seat.

“ **Not sure if ‘prouder’ is actually a word.** ” Alyra chuckled, and glanced over her shoulder. Sure enough, Sherlock and John were sitting right in the front row.

As the principal stepped to the microphone and declared them the official Class of 2018, the former students ripped off their caps. The mortarboards showered down around the smiling twins, who turned and waved wholeheartedly at their friends and family.

They followed the line of grads through the room and picked up their real diplomas. Once they were officially graduated, the mass of black-robed teenagers left the building.

Kaelin and Alyra met up with their family and friends. “Sherlock! John!”

Smiling at the sight of their young friends, the British couple smiled and waved hello. “ **It’s good to see you both. Congratulations.** ” Sherlock signed.

“ **And you,** ” Kaelin replied, her face plastered with a huge smile.

Though the girls had moved to another town for their senior year—a town with only one high school and little resources for the deaf—they’d made the most of it. Many people walked up to them and signed as best they could. Most struggled with the same basic word.

“ **We’d better get to lunch.** ” Alyra interrupted. “ **Reservation waiting for us.** ”

“ **Right!** ” Alice signed, rushing to collect all members of their party. “ **Jenna, Alyra, Kaelin, John, Sherlock, we need to go!** ”

Both cars eventually arrived at the restaurant unscathed, though Alice’s constant worrying made it seem more likely that a serial killer would get to them first.

“ **Sherlock and I have big news.** ” John signed, though his ASL was somewhat difficult to read. Luckily he was speaking verbally as well.

“ **Oh? Are you getting married?** ” Alyra signed and spoke, leaning forward.

**“We will be soon.** ” Sherlock signed, holding up John’s hand and pointing out a simple silver band. “ **It’s something else.** ”

John glanced at his fiancé hesitantly. “ **We are planning on adopting.** ”

“ **That’s fantastic!** ”“ **Wonderful news!** ”“ **Congrats, both of you!** ” The table cheered, their exclamations met with happy smiles from the couple in question.


	22. Chapter Twenty Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our story finally concludes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe I'm finally posting the last of this story! To those who were grumbling about an original work being half-assed to be fan fiction, I'm soooooo sorry. And if you'd like a more Johnlock-centric sequel of John and Sherlock raising their son, let me know. I so rarely complete a work (well, besides one-offs) that this being complete is a testiment to how much I love these characters. I would love to continue writing this, and I promise a sequel would be much less original work.

Christmas in 221B was quite an affair; Mrs Hudson sat in Sherlock’s armchair, while Sherlock stood watch beside the window. Lestrade and Mycroft sat on the sofa, most likely debating some ridiculous political scheme.

“ **Oh, John, come sit down, have a spot of tea,** ” Mrs Hudson signed.

“ **No, I’m waiting.** ” John answered, pacing back to the computer. It was the one gift he wanted, the one Christmas miracle. The adoption agency had said they would reply in 4-6 business days. This was the fifth.

“ **Do they even work on holidays?** ” Mycroft sauntered over to ask, waving his hands in front of the screen.

“ **Yes, for the last time. A lot of children get placed on national holidays.** ”

He ignored all other attempts to speak until the lights flicked on and off—the doorbell. Of course, the twins were coming to visit.

John was nervous, despite everything. A lot had changed between Sherlock and John since they’d first met Alyra and Kaelin. He fiddled with his wedding ring as he hurried down the stairs.

He pulled open the door to see the round, red faces of two young girls. They were eerily similar to their fourteen-year-old selves, though five years had passed.

“ **Hello, come in!** ” He signed in significantly better ASL than their last meeting, holding open the door. They rushed in from the cold, and John was just about to shut it when Molly Hooper hopped in behind them.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to run late,” She said to the host. “I was finalizing some plans with Tom.”

“Not a problem,” John smiled, patting her on the shoulder and following her up the stairs.

When he reached the flight, he immediately realized everyone was collected around the computer.

“What is it?” He barked, and every hearing person turned around, joy in their eyes. They pulled away, dragging Kaelin with them, and the nosy Lestrade.

John reached Sherlock, who was sat in front of the laptop, hands over his mouth and tears in his eyes.

“John,” he uttered, peeling himself away from the screen. His hands were trembling, making signing nearly impossible.

Crouching beside his husband, John found himself gazing upon a beautiful baby boy. “Congratulations on the birth of Hamish Watson-Holmes,” he read aloud. “He was born on December 22. He will arrive at your home on January 1; he was born prematurely, requiring a period of monitoring. He was born deaf. We hope he will be happy in your care.”

He wrapped an arm around his partner. Sherlock nuzzled into John’s soft hair, a tear or two betraying him.

“ **We’re parents,** ” He signed.


End file.
